Fourth of July: Founders, Facts and 'No Fooling?'

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The historic Union Hotel and other historic buildings (pictured) line the main street in downtown Union, Oregon, in Union County. The county seat is La Grande; Union sits not far from Catherine Creek State Park and the soaring mountains of the Eagle Cap Wilderness.

The most common patriotic-sounding word used within place names is “union” with 136.

Pennsylvania, with 33, has more of these places than any other state. Other words most commonly used in place names are Washington (127), Franklin (118), Jackson (96) and Lincoln (95). (Photo: Union Oregon Gary Halvorson Oreogn State Archives.)